GIANT FOOD SETS LABOR-SCHEDULING SOFTWARE

LANDOVER, Md. -- Giant Food here has committed to rolling out labor-scheduling software chainwide by May.

efore making the decision to go chainwide with one version of the software.

Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh, will reportedly also roll out labor-scheduling software chainwide in the same time frame, but declined comment. Both chains' software is provided by Management Robotics, Boulder, Colo.

The retailers evaluated the software on such factors as speed and potential labor cost savings, it was said. The system automatically creates schedules on a store-by-store basis by accessing data bases of projected sales, labor standards and union requirements, among other criteria.

The two retailers' programs would follow on the heels of other large chains that recently completed labor-scheduling rollouts of the software system.

A&P, Montvale, N.J., is now rolling out such software to all its stores, while Kroger Co., Cincinnati, and Safeway, Oakland, Calif., completed rollouts last year.